Marcel Kittel retains overall lead in second stage of Tour De Pologne 2011 - Cycling News
Skil-Shimano team’s Marcel Kittel won the second sprint of the stage and also took overall leader’s yellow jersey of Tour de Pologne 2011 on Monday, August 1.
The race started in Czestochowa and ended in Dabrowa Gornicza. Skil-Shimano team control the situation of the stage and Haussler was the first cyclists who led the line but 23-year-old Kittel powered to maintain his victory.
After taking victory, Kittel said, "I’m thrilled, I was already happy for yesterday’s victory and to manage a replay on this finish line today is really an indescribable joy. I must thank my team mates for having set me up in the perfect conditions to go
for an excellent final sprint."
Recently, Kittel won the third stage of Tour de Langkawi in January and also took the four stages of Quatre Jours de Dunkerque. He continued his effort and took the overall standing of Delta Tour Zeeland.
With two kilometers remaining, the first crash came and the group of thirty cyclists went away from the peloton. In the final 3 kilometres Ballan and Bart De Clerq were also took a part of the heavy crash. Both of them were taken to hospital but they were
not seriously injured and they did not finish the stage.
A group of four cyclists made the right move and gain an advantage of two minutes including Pierre Cazaux (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Adrian Kurek (Poland) and Bartlomiej Matysiak (CCC Polsat Polkowice) and Paolo Bailetti (De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia).
All of them working well together and managed to gain enough bonus. Leigh Howar led out Degenkolb but Haussler launched sprint but failed and Kittel crossed the finish line with the timing of 3 hours, 38 minutes and 35 seconds.
He further added, "I feel like I’m in really good shape so I’m definitely going to try to wear this jersey for as long as possible. The jersey for the points’ classification represents an important objective.”
Haussler was in second place and Graeme Brown was in third place with the same timing of German. Kittel also took the overall lead with the timing of 5 hours, 45 minutes and 41 seconds.
Adrian Kurek was runner-up with 7 seconds and Heinrich Haussler finished third with 14 seconds behind Kittel.
The next stage will start in Będzin and ended in Katowice. All the cyclists will cover the distance of 135.7 kilometres.
Kittel managed to put in a brilliant performance as he retained the overall lead in the second stage of Tour de Pologne.
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